Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 and Code of Practice

The Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 and Code of Recommended Practice, and other guidance.

The Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 set out the legal procedure for parish reorganisation and for closing consecrated church buildings and settling their future. It was substantially amended by the Mission and Pastoral etc. (Amendment) Measure 2018, most of the provisions of which came into effect on 1st October 2018, and others from 1st March 2019. The Commissioners ran a series of Conferences for dioceses highlighting the changes that would be brought in by the Amendment Measure, and copies of the presentations given by the Commissioners can be found here.

A full text of the Measure as amended and in effect on 1st March 2019 can be found below. The changes implemented by the Mission and Pastoral etc. (Amendment) Measure 2018 are highlighted in yellow.

In 2020, the Legislative Reform Committee was tasked by the Archbishops' Council to oversee a review of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. The Review is being led by the Parish Reorganisation and Church Property Department and a Green Paper, "Mission in Revision" (GS2222) was published in summer 2021 for consultation. For more information please see the page about the Review here.

Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 Code of Practice

The Commissioners have prepared a Code of Recommended Practice to accompany the Measure. This is the primary reference for anyone dealing with proposals for parish reorganisation, closed churches and related matters. 

It consists of two volumes: Volume 1 deals with pastoral reorganisation and Volume 2 with consecrated church buildings. They can both be downloaded below. 

The Commissioners' Guidance on Deanery Plans can also be found below. 

Our forms for parish reorganisation and closed church processes for official use by Dioceses can be found at the bottom of this page.

Please note that we are currently updating many of our Codes of Practice, including the one for the MPM 2011. This is to reflect changes to the law that have now been brought into effect by the Mission and Pastoral etc. (Amendment) Measure 2018. Some of these provisions came into force on 1st July 2018, and most of the others on 1st October 2018 or 1st March 2019

Please check this page regularly for updates, and always use the version of the Code on this page, as it will always be the most up to date version provided by the Commissioners. 

Parish reorganisation forms for diocesan administrators
Closed Churches Forms